The Underground Railroad eBook

MR. WILLIAM STILL, DEAR SIR:—­Your
letter of date April 7th I have just got, it had
been opened before it came to me. I have not
received any other letter from you and can get no account
of them in the Post Office in this place, I am
well and have got a good situation in this city
and intend staying here. I should be very
glad to hear from you as soon as convenient and also
from all of my friends near you. My Brother
is also at work with me and doing well.

There is nothing here that would interest
you in the way of news. There is a Masonic
Lodge of our people and two churches and societys
here and some other institutions for our benefit.
Be kind enough to send a few lines to the Lady
spoken of for that mocking bird and much oblige
me. Write me soon and believe me your obedient
Serv’t

Love & respects to Lady and
daughter

JOSEPH ROBINSON.

As well as writing to a member of the Committee, Joe
and Bob had the assurance to write back to the trader
and oyster-house keeper. In their letter they
stated that they had arrived safely in Canada, and
were having good times,—­in the eating line
had an abundance of the best,—­also had
very choice wines and brandies, which they supposed
that they (trader and oyster-house keeper) would give
a great deal to have a “smack at.”
And then they gave them a very cordial invitation to
make them a visit, and suggested that the quickest
way they could come, would be by telegraph, which
they admitted was slightly dangerous, and without
first greasing themselves, and then hanging on very
fast, the journey might not prove altogether advantageous
to them. This was wormwood and gall to the trader
and oyster-house man. A most remarkable coincidence
was that, about the time this letter was received in
Richmond, the captain who brought away the three passengers,
made it his business for some reason or other, to
call at the oyster-house kept by the owner of Joe,
and while there, this letter was read and commented
on in torrents of Billingsgate phrases; and the trader
told the captain that he would give him “two
thousand dollars if he would get them;” finally
he told him he would “give every cent they would
bring, which would be much over $2000,” as they
were “so very likely.” How far the
captain talked approvingly, he did not exactly tell
the Committee, but they guessed he talked strong Democratic
doctrine to them under the frightful circumstances.
But he was good at concealing his feelings, and obviously
managed to avoid suspicion.

* * * *
*

GEORGE SOLOMON, DANIEL NEALL, BENJAMIN R. FLETCHER AND MARIA DORSEY.

The above representatives of the unrequited laborers
of the South fled directly from Washington, D.C.
Nothing remarkable was discovered in their stories
of slave life; their narratives will therefore be brief.